Painter&#39;s easel



O. BULMAN PAINTER'S EASEL Feb. 13, 1968 Filed Dec. 25, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 02/44: 504/114 Feb. 13; 1968 o. BULMAN PAINTQER'S EASEL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fi led Dec. 23. 1965 INVENTOR. aer/zzi 504M Feb.13,1968 O.BULIIVIAN 3,368,786

. PAINTER'S EASEL Filed Dec. 23, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN TOR. oAW/zzf 504 M/A/ Feb. 13, 1968 Q. BULMAN 3,368,786

PAINTER S EASEL Filed Dec. 25, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 V 4770mm United States Patent ()fifice 3,368,786 Patented Feb. 13, 1968 3,368,786 PAINTERS EASEL Orville Bulman, Grand Rapids, Mich, assignor to The E. O. Bulman Manufacturing Company, Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Dec. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 515,902 Claims. (Cl. 248455) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A painters easel having an upright standard, secured near its lower end to a base bar, and a pair of brace bars hingedly connected at one end of each and hingedly secured to the standard at their other ends. The upper brace bar is also adjustably secured to the standard for movement lengthwise thereof, whereby the two brace bars can be moved between positions snugly adjacent the standard and positions in which they are at acute angles with respect to the standard, thereby providing a rearward support for the standard. A variety of brackets, trays, support members and the like are adjustably and removably secured to the standard.

This invention relates in general to a painters easel and, more particularly, to a type thereof which is sturdy in construction and capable of quick and easy dismantling for storage or transport.

Although painters easels have been used for as long as history records, the existing easels, with which I have become acquainted, still have many drawbacks including lack of adequate adjustability, difiiculty to store, difliculty to clean, instability in their upright positions, and inadequacy for holding the various types of materials and equipment used by the painter. It is not uncommon for a painter to use a table or other auxiliary device in combination with existing easels in order to perform his painting activities. This does not create a particularly serious problem when the painter is working in his own studio. However, if the painter wishes to conduct painting operations away from his studio, he is faced with two serious problems.

First, the known typical painters easel is so clumsy and difficult to handle, he cannot use it away from his studio. Accordingly, the average painter who has a studio, usually equips himself with a small portable easel which, as a rule, is even more unstable and less satisfactory in almost all respects than the one which he uses in his studio, with the single exception that it can be taken with him. Second, the artist finds himself completely without any type of equipment upon which to place his paints, paint brushes, his cleaning rags and the rest of his equipment which is essential to his work.

Another very frustrating problem which many painters often encounter concerns the temporary and safe disposition of wet canvas. Many painters work with two canvases at the same time. This permits them to let part of the paint on one canvas to partially dry while they are working on another canvas. Then, they return to the first canvas while the second canvas is partially drying. This procedure greatly reduces the possibility for smearing or running of colors which usually reduces the quality of the painting. However, the wet painting must be kept in a position where it will not be disturbed or the very purpose of working with two canvases may be defeated. Thus, safe disposition of the second canvas has always been a problem.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention has been the provision of an improved painters easel which is completely self-contained in that it includes all of v the auxiliary equipment necessary to accommodate and support the materials normally used by a painter while performing his work.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of a painters easel, as aforesaid, which can be easily cleaned, which can be easily and quickly collapsed into a relatively small and easily handled package that can be transported in a conventional passenger vehicle.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of an easel, as aforesaid, which is sturdy in structure, unusually stable in its upright position and which carries an auxiliary support for a wet canvas.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following specification and examining the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a painters easel embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of said painters easel.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of said painters easel.

FIGURE 4 is a broken, exploded and side elevational view of said painters easel in an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 5 is an exploded, sectional view taken along the line V-V in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an exploded, sectional view taken along the line VIVI in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is an exploded, sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 8 is an exploded, sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 9 is an exploded, sectional view taken along the line IXIX in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 10 is a side view of part of the structure appearing in FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 11 is an exploded, sectional view taken along the line XIXI in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 12 is an exploded, sectional view taken along the line XII-XII in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 13 is an exploded, sectional view taken along the line XIIIXIII in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 14 is an exploded, sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 15 is a collapsed side view of said easel with some of the attachments removed.

For convenience in description, the terms upper, lower and words of similar import will have reference to the easel of the invention as appearing in FIGURES l and 2. The terms front, rear and words of similar import will have reference to the right and left sides respectively of the easel and parts thereof as appearing in FIG- URE 2. The terms inner, outer and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometric center of said easel and parts thereof.

Summary of the invention those set forth above, have been met by providing a paint-' ers easel having an upright standard secured near its lower end to a base bar near the center thereof. A pair of brace bars are hingedly secured to each other at one end of each and the other ends of said brace bars are hingedly secured to the standard. That is, one brace bar is hingedly connected near the lower end of said standard and the other end of the other brace bar is adjustably secured to the standard for movement lengthwise thereof, whereby the two brace bars can be moved between positions adjacent to and parallel with the standard and positions in which they are at acute angles with respect to the standard, whereby they provide the rearward support for the standard.

A variety of brackets, trays, support members and the like are adjustably and removably secured to the standard and to one of the brace bars for holding or supporting the various materials used by the painter while performing his work. Depending upon the circumstances, some or all of the various article-supporting members may be used.

Detailed description The painters easel '(FIGURE 1), which illustrates a preferred embodiment, comprises a frame 16 having an elongated, rigid and metallic standard 17 having an elongated, rigid and metallic base bar 18, which is secured to, and transversely of, the lower end of the standard 17. A pair of articulated brace bars 19 and 20 provide the rearward support for the standard 17. That is, the brace bars 19 and 20 are hingedly connected to the standard 17 and to each other.

More particularly, the standard 17 is substantially U- shaped (FIGURES 5, 9, 11 and 12). The rearward wall 26 (FIGURE 5) of the standard 17 is substantially flat and has a pair of side walls 27 and 28 extending frontwardly therefrom. The side walls 27 and 28 each have inwardly offset portions defining slots 29 and 30, respectively, preferably centered thereon and extending the full length of the standard 17. A pair of flanges 31 and 32 extend inwardly from the frontwardmost edges of the side walls 27 and 28 and have at their inwardmost edges a pair of inwardly projecting, parallel extensions 33 and 34 spaced from the rear wall 26 and from each other to define a lengthwise opening 35.

The base bar 18, which is substantially channel-shaped (FIGURES 1 and 12), has a pair of holes through the bottom wall of the channel, preferably equidistant from the center point of the base bar 18, for the reception of a pair of screws 38 and 39 which are threadedly engaged with the threaded holes 36 and 37, respectively, in the base bar holder 24, which is rigidly secured to the standard 17 to secure the base bar 18 rigidly to the standard 17. A pair of pads 40 and 41 are mounted on the lower edge of the channel 18 near its ends.

The channel-shaped brace bar 19 (FIGURE 2) is hingedly connected to the standard 17 adjacent the base bar 18 by hinge 46. The outer ends of the brace bars 19 and 20 are connected to each other by hinge 47, and the uppermost end of the brace bar 20 is hingedly connected to the bracket 21 by hinge 48. The bracket 21 is slideable on the standard 17 so that hinges 46, 47 and 48 allow the brace bars 19 and 20 to move between the positions shown in FIGURES 2 and 15. The total length of brace bars 19 and 20 is slightly less than the total length of the standard 17 so that the bracket 21 does not leave the slots 29 and 30 while in the collapsed position. The U-shaped 6 bracket member 21 (FIGURE 14) has a screw 22 and wing nut 23 for releasably securing the bracket member 21 to the standard 17 Brace bar 20 is preferably substantially longer than the brace bar 19. Thus, when they are in the acute angle relationship of FIGURE 2, the standard 17 and brace bar 20 are both in substantially upright positions.

A plurality of attachments, such as the lower tray assembly 51 (FIGURES 4 and 5) are adjustably and removably mounted on the standard 17. The assembly 51 includes a U-shaped bracket assembly 52, which is slideably mounted on the standard 17. Specifically, the bracket assembly 52 has a web 55 and a pair of substantially parallel flanges 53 and 54. The web 55 is secured to an angle brace 57 which is in turn secured to the bottom of, and is the main support of, the tray 56.

The flanges 53 and 54 have, at their free edges, a pair of inwardly projecting flange portions 61 and 62, respectively, which are slideably receivable into the slots 29 and 30, respectively, in the side walls 27 and 28, respectively, of the standard 17. A screw 63 extends through flanges 53 and 54 and is engaged by wing nut 64 for slideably securing said bracket 52 to the standard 17 The second tray assembly 76 (FIGURE 6) is slideably positioned above the first tray assembly 51 and may be constructed like the tray assembly 51. Tray assembly 76 has, however, a pair of platforms 77 and 78 secured to and extending sidewardly from the underside of the tray 75. The platform 78 has a spring 79 (FIGURE 1) extending from the right wall 80 of the tray 75 to the wall 81 of the platform 78. The spring serves the purpose of holding the painters pencils and brushes.

The tray assembly 76 is slideably secured to the standard 17 by a bracket assembly 82 which may be identical to the bracket assembly 52 on the tray assembly 51.

A tablet holder 86 (FIGURES 4 and 7) is slideably positioned above the tray member 76 on the standard 17 and includes a bracket assembly 87 which may be identical to the bracket assemblies 52 and 82. The tablet tray is secured to the bracket assembly 87, which may be identical to the bracket assembly 52. However, tray assembly 86 has a brace 88 extending between and secured to its front and rear ends. The web of the bracket assembly 87 has an L-shaped bracket 94 secured thereto and extending upwardly therefrom so the leg portion 89 extends over the rearward portion of the tray 85. The leg portion 89 has a hole through which a thumb screw 90 is threadably received to secure a tablet or the like upon the tray 85.

The tray 85 has an upwardly extending rear wall 91 and downwardly extending skirt 93 along the front edge thereof. The downwardly extending skirt 93 gives added strength to the outwardmost edge of the tray 85.

The attachment 99 is slideably positioned above the tablet holder 86 and includes a towel holder 101 and a lower canvas support 102. More particularly, the attachment 99 has a bracket (FIGURES 4 and 8) which is slideable along the standard 17 and adjustably secured thereto by a bracket assembly 103. The assembly 103 includes a clamping member 109 which is positioned within the opening 35 in the standard member 17, as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 8. A screw 104, having a knob 105 on one end thereof, is slideably received through the sleeve 106 and threadedly enters the threaded opening 108 in the clamping member 109.

The lower channel-shaped support 102 for a canvas 113 is secured to the bracket 100 by means of an L-shaped member 110 so that the canvas support 102 is held in a substantial horizontal position transverse of the standard 17. The support 102 has two lengthwise grooves 97 for receiving the lower edge of the canvas.

The towel holder 101 is secured to the bracket 100 below the sleeve 106 and extends transversely of the standard 17. The outwardmost ends of the towel holder 101 have openings 111 and 112 therethrough.

The upper canvas support 115 is positioned above the attachment 99 and is slideable along the standard 17, but it does not have a means for rigidly securing it to the standard 17. Specifically, the support 115 (FIGURES 4, 9 and 10) comprises a substantially U-shaped bracket 117 having metal strips 118 and 119 rigidly secured to the parallel legs 122 and 123 which extend through the slot 35 in the standard 17. The metal strips 118 and 119 are wider than the slot 35 to prevent disengagement of the support 115, as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 9. A channel-shaped member 120 is secured along one edge thereof to the web 121 of the U-shaped member 117 and extends transversely of the standard 17. The upper support 120 has two lengthwise grooves 124 into which the edges of the canvas or other sheet material are receivable.

The attachment 126 is slideably positioned above the upper support 115. A U-shaped bracket 133, which may be similar to bracket 117 on the attachment 115, includes the plate 127 and has a pair of metal strips 134 secured to the ends of said bracket 133 designed to slideably fit within the opening 35. The plate 127 has a threaded opening 129 therethrough for the reception of a screw and knob assembly 128, which is similar to the screw 104 and knob 105 on the attachment 99. A plastic cap 131 is placed on the end of the screw 128 so that when the screw is turned to secure the bracket 127 to the standard 17, the plastic member 131 will bear against the rearward wall 26 of the standard 17 and the pressure exerted thereon by the screw 128 will hold the bracket 127 in place.

A channel-shaped member 130 is secured along one edge thereof to the bracket 127 by an L-shaped brace 125 and extends transversely of the standard 17. The channel-shaped member 130 is parallel with the channelshaped member 102 and engages the upper edge of a copy sheet 132 (FIGURE 3), which is supported on the member 120.

The attachment 136 is positioned on the brace bar 20 and is slideable with respect thereto. More particularly, the attachment 136 includes a bracket assembly 137 including a U-shaped member 135. Another U-shaped member 138 (FIGURE 13) is secured to the web 143. The upper leg of the U-shaped member 138 extends substan tially horizontally between the flanges 144 and 145, and serves as a platform for a channel-shaped member 139 which is secured thereto. The channel-shaped member 139 has dual lengthwise grooves 140 and 141 into which the edges of a canvas 142 (FIGURE 1) or other sheet material can be placed.

The bracket assembly 137 has a clamping mechanism which may be identical to that of the bracket assembly 52.

Assembly and operation The assembly and operation of the easel 15 will probably be evident from the foregoing descriptive material and the drawings. However, to insure a complete understanding of the invention, the same will be briefly described. Briefly, the easel will normally be shipped from one place to another with the base bar 18 and all of the various attachments removed from the standard 17. Also, the bracket 21 will be in its upwardmost position upon the standard 17 so that the brace bars 19 and 20 will be close to and substantially parallel with the standard 17 as shown in FIGURE 15. Also, the attachment 136 will be removed from the brace bar 20. The aforesaid attachments and the base bar 18 are, generally speaking, of such size and shape that they can be placed along the lengthwise extent of the standard 17 during shipment and thereby greatly minimize the space required for the entire easel assembly.

When it becomes desirable to use the easel 15, the base bar 18 is secured to the lower end of the standard 17 after which the nut 23 on the bracket 21 is released so that the bracket 21 can be moved downwardly along the standard 17 until the brace bars 19 and 20 are approximately in the positions shown in FIGURE 2. The thumb nut 23 is then tightened and the main frame 16 of the painters easel is ready for mounting of the various attachments thereon. Generally speaking, these attachments are mounted by sliding them onto the upper end of the standard 17 and moving them downwardly along said standard until they are in their desired positions. However, some of the attachments, such as those shown in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, for example, can be mounted upon the standard 17 from the side thereof which greatly reduces the problems of mounting them when the upper part of the easel is supporting the canvas.

This assembly and packing of the easel can be quickly and easily eifected by the reversing of the foregoing procedures. Also, adjustment of the tilt of the standard 17 can be quickly and easily effected merely by-loosening the thumb nut 23 and adjusting the location of the bracket 21 along the standard 17.

The two grooves in the channel-shaped canvas supports 102 and make it possible to support the canvas in any one of four different positions. This can be very helpful where the painter is receiving glare off the canvas indirectly from the sun or some other form of illumination.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above in detail -for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of such disclosure, which come within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A painters easel comprising:

an elongated, rigid and metallic standard of substantially tubular cross section having a pair of substantially parallel slots extending lengthwise on opposite sides thereof;

an elongated, rigid and metallic base bar having connecting means near the center thereof for rigidly securing same to the lower end of said standard;

a pair of brace bars hingedly connected to each other at one end of each for movement between first positions substantially perpendicular to each other and second positions in substantial lengthwise alignment with each other, one of said brace bars being hingedly connected at its other end to said standard near the lower end thereof and the other end of the other brace bar having means rigidly and adjustably gripping said standard between the ends thereof, the combined lengths of said brace bars when in said aligned positions being not materially greater than the length of said standard;

a pair of bracket means securely and adjustably connected to said standard for engaging the opposite edges of and thereby holding there'between a sheet of semirigid material, said bracket means being able to grip and hold said sheet material in a plurality of different angular positions with respect to said standard; and

shelf means adjustably mounted upon said standard beneath said bracket means, said shelf means having clamp means adapted for rigidly and releasably engaging said standard, said clamp means having flanges slideably received into said slots and holding means urging said flanges toward each other.

2. An easel according to claim 1, wherein said bracket means are vertically spaced and each has a pair of grooves substantially parallel with said base bar, each groove being adapted to receive an edge of said sheet material, whereby said angular positions are achieved.

3. An easel according to claim 1, wherein:

said bracket means are vertically spaced along said standard; and

including a rod member afiixed to and spaced below the lower bracket means, said rod member being parallel with said base bar.

4. An easel according to claim 1, wherein:

said shelf means includes a pair of similar trays each having a pair of projecting flanges adjustably secured to said standard; and

third bracket means adjustably mounted upon the other brace bar for engaging the lower edge of a sheet of semirigid material.

5. An easel according to claim 4, wherein:

one of said trays includes spiral gripping means adapted to grip paint brushes; and

7 8 the other tray includes clamp means adapted to grip 2,526,527 10/1950 Zander 248-463 sheet material supported thereon. 3,095,665 7/ 1963 Killen 248452 X 3,122,858 3/1964 Kadin 248-449 References Cl ed 3,164,256 1/1965 Bennett 248-465 X UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 410,226 9/1889 White 248-449 538,658 1/1956 Italy. 544,083 8/1895 Beyer 248449 1,850,647 3/ 1932 Whitcomb 248-449 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primaly Examiner.

2,032,872 3/1936 Friedrichs 248-449 

